She Taught Me What Love Is
by Beckyhelene
Summary: One shot-takes place right after Michael found out Isabel was getting married to Jesse. He does some thinking about the one he loves. (MM)


**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Note: This is a little thing I wrote years and years ago. **

**When Maria told me that Isabel was getting married, I didn't quite know what I felt. I guess I was slightly jealous. That's right. I was jealous. Jealous that Isabel could find someone so easily and fall in love, when I had waited, what, seventeen years to find my true love, and I'd be lying my alien ass off if I said it was easy. But, I'd have to admit. It was my fault. But I guess what they say is true, good things come to those who wait.**

**I guess one of the reasons why Maria and I have had a bumpy relationship is because we had a bumpy start. Stealing her car with her in it and driving to Marathon Texas isn't exactly the best way to impersonate Don Juan. But, ya gotta understand, that was when I just saw her as a human who Max had stupidly gotten involved with us with an annoying pixie hair cut. And I'm pretty sure that at the time, she wasn't exactly thinking nice thoughts about me. Over four hours on the road with her constant babble was somewhat annoying. And I did say somewhat. I'd be lying if I said that while the constant flow of words came out of her mouth, I wasn't thinking of just pulling the car over and kissing her soft pink lips, and then, of course, be attacked by an onslaught of Maria punches and things in Spanish I don't think I'd even _want_ to know what they meant in English. **

**Then came when we first kissed. I'll admit, I didn't intend to kiss her, it just happened. Now, whether or not I was glad it happened is a totally different issue. I kissed her, and I honestly felt good about it. I mean, hey, Max isn't the only one who can fall in love with a human. That's right, I fell in love with her, and all my attempts to push her away were in love. Love for her, and love for my own sanity. I knew if the day ever came that Max, Isabel and I would leave, I'd go insane just leaving her as an acquaintance, let alone as a girlfriend. I know I hurt her, I found the "voodoo" alien she was using after the incident during the heat wave. And I felt terrible. I mean, I pushed her away because I also didn't want her to get hurt. I didn't want her to be in the line of fire. But, that was hurting her.**

**That night that I used my powers in front of Hank, I could've gone so many places. I could've gone to the park, or, well, anywhere, but I went to her. I needed to feel like someone cared about me and didn't see me as some sort of charity case, like Max and Isabel, or some sort of burden, like Hank. And, as much as she despised me, she let me in. She saw me battered and bruised and didn't ask any questions. She just stroked my hair and let me cry. After that came the entire visions issue. When Maria said she saw things, deep inside, I knew she didn't, but I wanted to believe that she did. That she could break through my inner walls and see me. Then, she admitted that she had been faking it. I was angry. But not because I felt like I had been wasting time, of course not, but because the one person who I felt could never hurt me had been lying to me. But she came to me. She apologized to me. She actually thought it was her fault that there were no visions. She wanted to be with me. As much as I had been upset, I couldn't anymore. Someone wanted me. Someone went though all this trouble and strife, just to be with me. Why she did, I didn't know, or care. All I cared about was that someone wanted me, and the feeling was mutual.**

**When Maria refused to leave me at Buckley Point, I just couldn't help but look at her, and want nothing more then to take her in my arms and wipe away her tears. I was pushing her away and she still wasn't budging. Like a stubborn rock wedged in a ravine. And I didn't want to push anymore. I didn't want to force the inevitable. Like it or not, I had someone who cared about me, and who hadn't left my side yet, and wasn't intending to do so anytime soon. But then, finally, I had to push her away. After I saw what I did to Pierce, I knew I couldn't be with Maria. Not with my Destructo-Boy from outer space ability. I mean, one fit of temper and poof, Kentucky Friend Maria. And there was no way that I was going to let that happen. But, she still wouldn't budge. She even pulled the "why can't you be like Max" card. The one thing that made me even more ashamed. She was right. She deserved so much more than me. She deserved someone whose love for her didn't put her on the FBI's most wanted list. So, I told her I loved her, and left.**

**But even that didn't stop her. She called. And called. And called. Never did I dare pick up the phone, afraid she'd finally break down my stone wall. I just sat in my apartment and listened as she left messages on my machine. And first her messages where just needing to talk.  
BEEP "Michael, its Maria. Listen, I know you have some sort of destiny with Isabel. Liz told me what happened. Will you call me back when you get this message? We need to talk." BEEP "Michael, it's Maria again. What's going on? Please call me back." BEEP. Then, they started to edge toward anger. "Michael, I know you've been getting my messages. Would you please just call me?" BEEP. Then, they were angry. "Michael Guerin, I know you're home. Pick up the fricken phone! My god!" Then, after the whole me being in jail incident happened, the messages where less angry. "Hey, Michael, it's me. You do know I was joking about the whole convicts and bed thing, right? I just thought we needed to talk, and that was the only opening line I could think of. Listen, I'm sorry about what happened with Nasedo. I know he was your only link to your home and how much you want a link. Call me back when you get this message, please?" After I had heard that message, I played it back over and over again for a while. **

**The thing that finally made me realize how much of a knucklehead I was being was Hal's story. Here he had Betty, this amazing girl who, as he told me about her, I couldn't help but be reminded of Maria, and she died, before he even had a chance to just kiss her. And I didn't want that with Maria. I didn't want to regret my actions, or inactions. But, I still knew that we couldn't be together. It'd be difficult. And Maria didn't need that. She needed someone who...who...Well, someone who wasn't me. But, like I said, she is one stubborn girl. She's a stubborn girl who I hurt. I saw the anger in her face when she saw I was at Courtney's apartment that night. She had come to try and protect me, but she didn't know that I was doing that for her. I knew there was something off about Courtney, and knowing Maria, she would most likely try to investigate on her, and I couldn't let Maria get hurt. But, when I saw the look on her face when she saw Courtney in the towel, I forgot about wanting to protect her, and silently prayed that if there was a god, it would strike me dead at that moment so I didn't have to see the feeling of betrayal in her eyes. And then Alex, rest is soul, ignored the fact that I could kick his butt even without my powers and punched me in Maria's defense. He saw I had hurt Maria and wasn't going to stand for it. **

**The day that The Skins somehow managed to make all the humans disappear, I was with Courtney and her newly formed husk. When Max said that the humans had disappeared, my stomached lurched. Where they dead? Was Maria dead? Where was she? But then she and Liz showed up, visible, and alive. She ran to me and wrapped her arms around me, and I wrapped my arms around her. Both of us glad that the other was all right. When Kyle, Liz and Maria left to find what was causing the problem, I looked at her. She knew I couldn't really express myself in mushy romantic ways, and she wanted to say goodbye. I told her I'd see her soon and held her in my arms again. Then I watched as she walked away. **

**At that point in time, I wasn't sure what was going on between us. Where we together? Where we apart? I decided to just sit back and see what happened. Never did I think that she'd go on a date with that Brody guy. And believe me, when Rath asked if he could kill him, the thought was rather tempting. But, she then explained to me why she took him out. She knew Brody was going to ask questions. Too many that we, the aliens, couldn't answer. And she told me he had asked her out, so, she figured the best way to distract him was to ask him out. That did make me feel a little better, but not much. I still didn't like Brody, but at least now the thought of causing him bodily harm wasn't in my head anymore. Then, came Christmas. With Christmas came presents, buying presents, and The Christmas Nazi, aka, Isabel, getting on my case about presents. I had no idea what to get for Maria. I was never one big on buying presents for others, but when I did, it was only for two people, Max and Isabel, who were like family. But, thankfully, Isabel secretly "forgot" a present that just happened to be signed from me to Maria. And it was pearl earrings. I'll probably be eighty before I'm able to pay her back in full, but, I was so grateful she had helped. **

**When Alex died, all of us where hit hard. In the two years we all had been a group, we had become a family. And now, one of us was dead. The only thing I could do was take care of Maria and her mother. Help them with anything. Ms. DeLuca said she was happy to see someone love her daughter like I did, and that she would like to see more of me. This was good. Nothing is worse then having your girlfriend's mother plotting to murder you. And when Maria ended things between us, Ms. DeLuca inadvertently gave me the best advice, all the while using a garbage disposal as a metaphor for my relationship with her daughter.**

**Then came the day Max turned on the Granolith. Our way home. And we just had a day. A day. I knew I had to go to Maria right away. I needed to be with her. When she came over that night, I told her why she hadn't seen the visions last year. Why I didn't want her to see them. And I let her see me. I opened myself up to the woman I loved and let her see me. I wanted to tell her then about the Granolith, but, well, the mature way to say it is that we consummated our relationship. Afterwards, I felt terrible. I had taken something from her and I was leaving in a few hours. When I did tell her, we just laid together, holding one another with the time we had left.**

**When Max, Isabel, Tess and I were about to leave, I knew I couldn't. I couldn't just leave Maria like this. I couldn't leave her. So, I left the cave. I was surprised to see Maria, Kyle and Liz outside the cave, and even more surprised by the first three words that came out of her mouth the moment she saw me. "Tess killed Alex." **

**So, here we are now. I'm here, on earth, with the woman I love. The woman who showed me how to love. Sometimes she complains that because of my now packed schedule that we're not together. And, trust me, if I could, I'd drop everything just to be next to her. Forget late night security job, forget Crashdown, and forget school. But, I want to make a future for myself. A future for us. Maybe some day I'll save up money for an engagement ring for her. Or a better apartment and she can move in with me. Or maybe even college. Who knows? All I know is that I love her. I love Maria DeLuca. **

THE END 


End file.
